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Fire, Fireworks, and... Fire.

Black Rock Hold - Rocky OutcroppingTo the west lay the fields and farms of the hold, spread out like a blanket of fences and crops. Small roads wander through, gradually meeting in the main throughfaire back to the courtyard. Separating here from there is a grass plain, dotted with wild flowers.A rocky outcropping pushes its way up out of the grassy plain, the medium brown rock broken and jagged as it creates an oasis, complete with a spindly tree a top the pile, in the endless sea of grass. The pile of rocks casts shadows this way and that, creating an illusion of depth, making the climb dangerous.Amongst one such shadow, there is no rock hidden from sight; instead, a large hole exists, the entrance to a cave hidden within the rocky outcropping. If one was unfortunate enough to approach this cave, a distinctive smell could quickly be noticed, as well as worn spots in the dirt blow onto the rocks by the wind.

BEHOLD: A MAJESTIC SET OF MYSTICAL ORIGIN. WHO DAT, WHO DIS? The dragons are winging in candidates, looking amazing while they do it, dropping them off in a spot a little closer to the mines where YOU CAN'T HURT YOURSELVES and HOPEFULLY not each other either. There is a massive, massive wicker and thatch structure sitting behind several groupings of smaller wicker and thatch piles, and just to the right of those? Some of Xanadu's finest: Search and Rescue. The riders are in heavy leather, their dragons lined up behind them with water - lots and lots of water - at the ready for… well… whatever you all just signed up for. There's also several boxes, one holding welding helmets, the others housing the various components required to make up that heavy-leather gear those S&R riders are already decked in. And there's another box containing an ASSORTMENT of ominous things: magnifying glasses, sparky electric things, flint and tinder — use your imaginations. WELCOME TO BURNING MAN 2719, CANDIDATES. MIGHT AS WELL SAY ADIEU TO THESE LESSONS (that will actually continue off-cam, sorry) IN STYLE. WITH A… MAYBE PARTY. Who's to say? COME, CHILDREN. GATHER 'ROUND AND LEARN.

D'lei is with those S&Riders, because… well, he used to ride with them! And now he's their boss. But either way, he's chatting with them as candidates arrive and are dropped off, making sure all is well and that the fire will not be permitted to get tooo far out of hand. Just enough to be fun… or at least, hopefully not too far out of hand. WHO EVEN KNOWS.

You know what looks really majestic flying in on dragonback? People with capes! Rhodelia at least is still wearing her fabulous purple cape and matching eye-mask, even if the cape has to be worn over a set of riding leathers. Once she hops down (with only a little assistance from her very helpful dragon ride), she's eyeing the massive stack of all supplies. "That looks very flammable."

It's a much more mobile Nessalyn who dismounts from one of those dragons. The bruising and soreness may still linger, but at least it's past the point where it seems to hold her back. There's a vigilant wariness which she brings with her to all of these so-called lessons, her lack of trust showing in her refusal to exhibit any form of enthusiasm until she knows what's up. But here, Nessalyn takes one look around, and, "Finally, something is being set on fire!" This just makes candidacy worth it, guys. She was on the fence before, but now…

Cielo looks slightly better slept than usual, which isn't saying much, but he's aware and present. He is also not wearing a cape, but he does have a sky-blue scarf tucked around his neck and face that dangles off in a suspiciously 'cool' fashion. "Don't you wanna know how we keep starting fires?" He asks of Rhodelia. A bit of a smile peeks over that fabric as he gives a parting farewell to his dragon and wanders over to join the others. This is.. ominously promising.

Rinian slides from the dragon that gave her a lift, with a smile and thanks for both rider and dragon. Then she makes her way over towards where other candied-dates are gathering. At Ness' comment she can't help but smile. Yay for Ness dreams coming true!

At this point, who's a pro at getting down off a dragon? Well, quite a bunch of people actually, but pointedly now among them is Mathis. Swooooop, dut, TADAH! He would have thrown his arms up and smiled to the crowd, maybe judges would have given him a 7.6 on sticking that landing, but he was far too interested in looking over the everything of everything and coming up with nothing. They're going to make leathers now? Heavy leathers? And then what? A bit distracted by the cape and mask wearing Rhodelia, big thumbs up and too many teeths grin for that, but it's Nessalyn and her excitement over flammable objects that's acquires some attention. A blink and odd look and he shakes his head. Something was seriously wrong with that woman he was done trying to figure her out. A pass of hazel eyes over Cielo, okay it lingers a bit, and with a touch of pink he steps off to loop an arm through Rinian's, claiming her. Totes his. A wave is sent towards D'lei, and then gives his bestie a bit a squeeze.

And here comes Risali, also in her cape, though it's worn over an already claimed set of those protective heavy leathers with helmet in place (though the mask is pushed up, so that you can still see it's her). She's pulling on her gloves, focus momentarily on that as she strides toward the front of the group already beginning to talk. "Hello, candidates." Stride, stride, pause. Up her gaze comes, hands still working those gloves into a more comfortable adjustment. So what if they drown her just a little bit? SHE'S SMOL AND YOU CAN FIGHT HER. "Today you will be required to wear heavy leathers and helmets. These ladies and gentlemen from Search and Rescue will not only assist you with getting your gear on properly, but ensuring that we remain within a controlled environment. It will be hot, but it will put a barrier between you and these." Risali makes a gesture towards the wicker and thatch piles. "We have a box of various components that you will use to start fires on these smaller piles," another gesture, "and torches to light from your individual fires so that we can light the big one as a group." And here there's a shift, here Risali adopts a dry tone as those grey eyes sweep out over the crowd and - "Unless, of course, this is too dangerous for you. If you believe that we are not taking your personal safety into account, you are free to leave and will be excused from participation in the event altogether. There are riders back where you came, waiting to take you home." A beat, as Risali lets that sink in, and she continues with, "Are there any questions?"

Not everything here is flammable! Some of them are inflammatory. The better to set all those flammable things on fire! …and, okay, some of them are protective versus fire, and a few of them are good for putting fires out, but still. D'lei makes his way up from the search riders to join Risali's side as she speaks, with a slight nod to acknowledge and agree to her words… and then a look to survey the candidates and check for, well, those questions.

"OHHHH, I can set a fire!" Rhodelia can set a fire real good. Don't make her show off one of her many super-powers, Cielo! She'll do it. Or get Nessa to. The bartender is practically bouncing and rubbing her hands with glee. This seems like one of the fun lessons. Unlike near drownings or the whole fighting thing. She's all ears as Risali describes exactly what they're doing and she does have some of those pesky questions. "Not that I object to this… but what are we supposed to be learning?" How to hide evidence? Is there a body Risa doesn't want discovered hidden under all that wicker?

Can Nessalyn claim it's too dangerous for everyone else and KEEP ALL THE FIRE FOR HERSELF? She seems to be seriously considering it, casting a sidelong glance at her fellow candidates before turning her eyes toward Risali and D'lei. There's a disappointed sigh when she seems to come to the conclusion that such a suggestion will only blow up in her face. FINE GUYS, FINE. She'll be good, at least until those flames are actually flickering. She's among the first over to those S&R riders, eagerly awaiting her opportunity to get her hands on some firestarting equipment. "BARTENDER!" She reaches out toward the caped crusader, crooking a finger to gesture her to come closer. "Obviously, we're learning how to destroy everything when we're sick of having to save people from themselves."

Rinian glances to Matty, still linked arm in arm with him, to judge his reaction to things. She's not quite as gung ho for this one as the other lessons but..she's not one to back down either. So less than thrilled with large fires or not, she'll give it ago. So, let's see..we know there is protective gear, and we know there are nice search and rescue people to keep them safe. She knows how to start a fire if she has to so..she isn't sure she's got any questions. But she'll mull that over as hopefully others brighter than her have some good ones.

Cielo wants BADLY to ask if there are marshmallows. He's not sure those exists, but there's still the solemn urge. A smile is given over his shoulder to Mathis and Rinian, and a little finger-wave. Everyone looks to be in high spirits, so it helps him breathe easy. … super powers? DO IT, RHODIE. "I feel safe. Really safe. That's a lot of safety gear." He notes. And S&R on guard. And water. Though he supposes that makes sense, if they're going to start it. Still. Mm… he holds questions for the moment, nursing a thought.

Capes, masks, heavy leathers, and fire. Oh my. Mathis watches Risali's arrival, gaze tracking her as she arrives on the scene and comes forward to make her announcement, looking to the leathers and helmets, then the search and rescue riders, following her sweeping gesture towards the piles of burnables, and finally comes to rest upon the biggest of ones. Two drumbeats of pause and the boy's eyes dart back to Risali again, brows beginning to furrow, glancing over D'lei on his approach before looking between Rhodelia and Nessalyn. Nope. To all of that, just nope. He remembers the dirt flinging at the training lesson, he doesn't even want to wager a guess as to what'll happen when they have access to fire and are that excited about it. "Scary," Mathis shudders, shaking it off as to share the softness of a smile towards Rinian, "It'll be fine." Was he reassuring her, or himself there? The over-the-shoulder-glance and finger wiggle from Cielo earns the dragonhealer a toothy grin and a wide open-hand-semi-circle wave, "Hiya." Sure, cheeks are pinking up nicely, but otherwise he's doing great.

D'lei shifts his gaze to Rhodelia for her questions, and there's an almost-smile that quirks the corner of his mouth - then a glance to Nessalyn as she offers her own answer - and back to Rhodelia again. "We certainly can't force anyone to learn anything. You're all quite capable of making your own decisions." That flicker of his mouth is not a smile. "The intention, however, is that you'll discover what some of the potential fire risks are…" By playing with them, apparently. "…and after you've got it burning, you'll be putting the fire out again." FIRE EXTINGUISHING??? BETRAYAL. His gaze shifts to Nessalyn, then past her to see the others. Cielo has… no questions yet, even if his face might imply some later, and Rinian and Mathis… nope, no questions either! So. He glances around to make sure no new ones have arrived, while the S&R riders help those heading that way by handing them protective gear in what are hopefully the rightish sizes.

Rhodelia simply shrugs as she receives not one but two answers. Whether she's going with D'lei's or Nessa's as the actual reason, she's apparently question free and next in line for getting some of those super snazzy leathers. Yes, the cape does come off. Something about not wanting to mess with the seal of the protective suit or whatever. But it doesn't stay off for long. One of the beautiful things about capes is that their one-size-fits-all and so over the fire-leathers it goes. "So we should probably wait until everybody is in their gear before starting, right?" That question is offered even as she's turning an anxious eye over her shoulder to some of the classmates that weren't as eager to get suited up. And around all the flammable stuff? There's definitely a teeny little bronze firelizard sniffing around. Maybe dropping a few lumps of firestone in the middle, but no flames from him. Yet.

WHAT IS THIS BLASPHEMY ABOUT FIRE EXTINGUISHING? Nessalyn absolutely wears that look of total betrayal as she stares back at D'lei, a silent 'but why???' in her expression. The point of fire isn't to put it out. But despite her misgivings on the topic of extinguishing the glory of flame, she grabs for one of those suits and begins putting it on. It definitely dwarfs her a little, but most things do, and the rider assisting her with it seems to decide it's safe enough. She's not tripping over it, so everything is okay. Rhodelia's question stops her with a groan, her steps already leading her toward ALL THE FLAMMABLE MATERIAL. "You're probably right." The way she says it makes it sound as though this is the worst thing she has ever had to admit. "Fine." LIFE IS SO HARD.

Cielo thinks for a moment, and then lifts the edge of his satchel, stuffing his scarf into it. Yeah, that's not going anywhere near a big blaze. Yeah, it didn't make sense to gird out in leathers just to light fires and par-tay. There is the INTERIM though. "It's gonna get pretty hot here, isn't it?" The dragonhealer is pretty easy to dress. Really, it just has to do with having a mum as a tailor. "You are ever full of surprises." He pays to D'lei and Risali, before stooping in to see what fantastic firestarters he can dredge up.

Rinian smiles to Matty then makes her way to a waiting rescuer and gets his help to try to find something that fits. That meets with marginal success. Bit surprise. She ends up looking like she's a kid wearing her dad's clothes. Her small hands in the gloves leave a bit to be desired, with her fingertips no where near the end of the gloves fingertips. And the helmet falls so far down over her head she can barely see. Oh yeah..this is going to go well…

Were they supposed to ask questions? Ker-blink, side-eye to Risali. She had mentioned something like that but he'd been…distracted. Whoops. Ah, well. Did he? Thinking about that a spell…nope. So, what if they didn't have any? Apparently, that meant the green light to go forth and become one with fire and leather. Not necessary recommended in that order. A flicker of eyes towards D'lei. How I died, the final novel by Mathis. No no, he's fine. Really. Deep breath taken and exhaled, he releases Rinian's from his prison of arms, starting forward sets for a set of those heavy leathers, just being toothy and shrugging as it seems to take the riders a bit of time to eyeball his stick-figure figure and find a set that would somehow fit him. It was okay, he was used to the multitude of costume changes that had come with this candidacy. He doesn't dare to dream that the next could possibly top this one, if only because how could he be lucky enough to be searched a second time. He'd made memories for a lifetime and what could possible top that? Overstuffed satchel set aside, he is dressed in leather, feeling about fifty-times heavier by the end of it. Could he even move in this stuff? Limbs are bent and stretched, feeling stiff but warmer than he had been. About to be a heck of lot warmer. "Yep," he tells Cielo, seeming sharing a braincell a moment before he wolf whistles at Rinian and gives her the big thumbs up. "I like it. Wear it always." There's a deep chuckle, shoulders barely able to bounce as much as they're used to.

So, there's one question answered. D'lei nods slightly as Rhodelia moves on, a glance to Nessalyn that has a meeting of her eyes but zero answer to her silent question… and then to Cielo. "If it gets too hot, step back… but better hot than on fire." Are he and Risali boring, or reckless? …depends who you ask, and when. As for their surprising-ness? D'lei gives a bit of a shrug to that. "That's a good thing, sometimes," he says, and half-smiles. "We keep get surprised back, too. Also a good thing… sometimes." Will this be one of the times? …maybe. As the rest of the candidates go to get suited up, D'lei and Risali split - both going to talk with a different one of the S&R riders, just to make sure there's a good coverage of qualified people watching to stop the potential issues from reaching disaster level. Hopefully, at least. ….they're gonna try.

Another power of Super-Rhody is that she's impervious to Nessa-groans. True fact. She can also make lemonade out of lemons by turning the waiting into more chance to evaluate those supplies and more importantly, call first dibs. Unsuprisingly, the bartender heads straight for bottles of possible accelerants. Whiffing at random mystery bottles probably isn't advised, but it's certainly better than taking a random swig. She lifts her faceshield mask long enough to get a quick sniff of the bottle which is all it takes to have her eyes blinking and watering a bit. "That's some of the good stuff." Not for drinking, unless you're wood that is thirsty for being set on fire, but good for the day's mission and so it's sealed back up and tucked in Rhodelia's elbow as she also rummages about for some matches. And a wick something or other… Once she has that, she waits. Just a moment as if there should be some signal or something.

Let's be real, Nessalyn is going straight for anything electrical which makes sparks and might possibly electrocute her in the process. But she's a professional, so it's not dangerous at all. She flicks it a few times, generating a few sparks but not actually setting anything alight just yet. Just to be on the safe side, she grabs an accelerant as well. It's always good when sparks fly, but something you need a little something extra. Wink, wink.

Cielo gives a little look to either arm, making sure nothing flammable is exposed. The gear makes sure of that, but he can't help but imagine what a Cielotorch might look like. "Some of us are both all the time. But I will try my best for one," he replies to D'lei and sifting. Sifting… the whistle makes him look up, perk, and give a curious headtilt before getting a small, curious device—like a little cup on the end of tongs with a rough shine inside and a flicky spike attatched. What were those things even called? Anyway, they spark pretty, and he seems fond of that. Looks like he'll be lighting his candle alone, but this is fine! … seeing the others with accelerant, he grabs a little too.

Rinian takes a few steps and fwomp..the helmet slips over her eyes. She shoves it back up, another couple of steps and..repeat. What is with all these big headed search and rescue riders?

Dressed and such, Mathis heads off to the piles of things that can start a fire. Two sticks? How the…? Passing over those, he moves on. One stick? It wasn't so much a stick as it looked like a firework, except the end with the string was really short and had a tab on it that said pull. As curiosity would probably be the real reason he meets his final demise, he goes ahead and picks that as the thing he wants to use. Whatever it was. He really wanted to do what that tab said, biting down on his lower lip and only just barely avoiding being preemptive here, he selects a small pile of twigs and things and turns his eyes back to D'lei and Risali.

IS THERE A SIGNAL? Well, no. But as Risali turns away from her conversation with some of those rescue riders, she does call out, "Candidates, you may begin!" SHE MIGHT BE SMOL, BUT SHE'S GOT A PAIR OF LUNGS ON HER, okay. She doesn't wait to see how the candidates do, however. The weyrwoman is moving back across the way to D'lei, going up on tippy toes and bringing a hand in front of her mouth and whispering something to him before disappearing to retrieve THINGS… things that come in a nondescript brown rucksack, but definitely look like long, thin sticks pocking out of the end. For now, she remains idle, eyes on the candidates.

D'lei nods to Risali, with a half-smile. He approves! Or at least agrees. Or at least… well. Things will happen, okay? He takes a half-step back, the better to have a view of the various people engaged in various levels of Bad Idea.

Rhodelia is already beginning! If by beginning you mean carefully shoving the wick she found into the bottle of burny-stuff. She finishes with that right in the nick of time because then Risali's giving the signal to unleash the hordes fire! It's not easy to grab a match with those thick fire-protecting gloves on and Rhody ends up breaking more than a few, but like the thirteenth try is a charm and she both lights the match and the wick. There's a brief little juggling of the hot tuber in her hands before she's taking some awkward steps towards the structure to gain momentum before she… disappointingly underhandedly lobs it over like a granny tossing a ball. But it does hit and while it might not shatter, the bottle cracks enough to start dripping the slowly burning liquid down… which has Rhody turning around with her hands up doing a little happy dance - and the cape is swirling still as she turns.

Yeah she did. Mathis, despite splitting his attention between the two leaderly types, gasps in a short breath at the booming voice that comes out such a little person. With eyes just this side of big, he decides that she MUST teach him the way of the voice. So he could shatter stone and his name could be a killing word. Dat mouse shadow tho. No more delay, back to the task at hand, he notably holds the pull-tab end away from his face and does the thing. And by doing 'the thing' he means pulling the tab that says pull, but it's more of a 'yoink' and nearly drops the thing as it sputters and hisses and bright red whoosh comes shooting out the buisness end. What. The. Actual. *enter expletive of choice here Probably not safe for him to be dangling that whateveritis from his fingertips like that, but that's what he's doing alright. "Uhhhh…UUUHHHHH…UGH!" And toss, into the pile of twigs, before moonwalking, boogy-oogying,

Cielo watches Risali, suspicious. SUSPICIOUS. But then he hears the sounds of other fires starting and settles things into position. Just a little, itty bitty bit of kindling he douses and tucks into the wicker. He flick-flicks the flinty device a couple times, watching the sparks shower and ember out uselessly while smiling. It's not every day you can just… play with sparks and not get in trouble for it, okay? He's going to savor that purr-like scratch of metal over flint and the little spray, pretending he's just trying to get it right before… actually getting it started. Though it's a little more anticlimatic than the other ignitions, but once it starts he still scampers back just for safety's sake.

Rinian stops and pulls off the helmet. She holds it between her knees to free her hands long enough to take all that hair and sort of tie it up atop her head. The helmet gets put back on and..yay! The hair lifts the thing enough so she can see. That settled, she's a bit behind the others in getting her fire started. She settles for good old trusty matches and tinder. She crouches near an unlit pile and puts match to tinder, waiting patiently for it to start eating through the easily flamable stuff. Only when it seems strong enough does she start feeding slightly bigger pieces to it, being careful to not snuff it with too much at once.

Yeah she did. Mathis, despite splitting his attention between the two leaderly types, gasps in a short breath at the booming voice that comes out such a little person. With eyes just this side of big, he decides that she MUST teach him the way of the voice. So he could shatter stone and his name could be a killing word. Dat mouse shadow tho. No more delay, back to the task at hand, he notably holds the pull-tab end away from his face and does the thing. And by doing 'the thing' he means pulling the tab that says pull, but it's more of a 'yoink' and nearly drops the thing as it sputters and hisses and bright red whoosh comes shooting out the business end. What. The. Actual. *enter expletive of choice here* Probably not safe for him to be dangling that whateveritis from his fingertips like that, but that's what he's doing alright. "Uhhhh…UUUHHHHH…UGH!" And toss, into the pile of twigs, before moonwalking, boogy-oogying, macarena, hokey-pokey, hustles himself out of there. At least, a step or three. There is a lot of black smoke rising from the pile for a while, but the second he starting to think that this was a wash, and takes a step forward again. FWOOSH, up it goes into flame, and there goes Mathis's eyebrows probably.

DON'T, DON'T BE SUSPICIOUS, CIELO. Risali meets his gaze and what threatens to be a smile dimples her cheeks but… doesn't come to fruition. And she can definitely teach you the art of Yelling Really Loud, Mathis. When you are so smol as this one, you learn to be ferocious in spades, because people overlook and underestimate you. Which would all be IMPORTANT AND WELL AND GOOD if this scene was about inside fires, and not OUTSIDE FIRES. Risali and D'lei both watch, waiting, Risali momentarily fixated on Rhodelia's cape, then Mathis' (HOW DO YOU EVEN EXIST) dance RIGHT BACK OUTTA THERE. And HERE THEY COME, both weyrleaders, even if D'lei is more Silent Help as Risali hands off that rucksack to him. WHY HELLO, RHODY. Risali hands you exactly two sticks — one look like it's meant for marshmallows, and one that looks suspiciously like it might be a sparkler (hint: IT IS). There is also a small container handed over, the contents? MARSHMALLOWS. AWWWYIS. But Risa doesn't stop at Rhodelia. She and D'lei move to each candidate in turn: to Nessalyn, to Cielo, to Rinian and, finally, to Mathis. Y'ALL GET THE SAME TREATMENT, and Risali even has a couple of extra for herself. "Congratulations, you've all started fires. While you enjoy your treats, can anybody tell me anything that they observed?" Anything at all, you guys. CONVERSE. AND ENJOY NOMS. Sup Mathis. Risali is spearing a marshmallow and getting close to your fire to toast it while she waits.

From behind the whole giant face shield thing, Rhodelia's eyes light up as she stops her spinning and is presented with two of the greatest sticks ever. And marshmallows go on BOTH OF THEM SINCE NOTHING WILL GO WRONG. But something is already going wrong even as the weyrwoman is wandering away to be bonfire-santa-claus elsewhere. Maybe it was the giant spluttering hissing thing Mathis threw or any of the numerous other flaming things that had been through the air (but nah, it was totally that first thing), but the majestic purple cape has began to smolder, which some (eventually nearly all) of the Search and Rescue riders are helpful enough to yell out. Probably some accelerant got on there as well because once the smoldering reaches a certain point, it bursts into real flames. "OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO OH NO!!!" More turning this time plus fire. The sticks are looked at and juggled before Rhody makes the very tough choice to toss away both stick-marshmallow and sparkler-marshmallow. Maybe a fellow candidate can catch and save them. For the bartender? She's putting some of the safety training to the test as she throws herself to the ground and starts rolling. And rolling and rolling and rolling. Sure the flames are probably out by now, but she doesn't actually stop rolling until she gets into the water. Success?

YAAAAAS. Nessalyn's eyes light up when, on top of lighting fires, she gets something sweet. She may still be harboring some ill-will toward Risali because emotions are stupid and messy and WHATEVER, but that doesn't dim her excitement when she gets both a marshmallow stick and a sparkler. "Wonder what would happen if I put the marshmallow on this…" She's mostly musing to herself, but it's certainly loud enough to be heard by anyone nearby. Creating marshmallow fireworks is a tempting idea, but after a moment of shifting her gaze between the two sticks, she seems to settle on edible sweets over the entertainment of a potential disaster. See what a responsible adult she is? Ignore the fact that she's pouring MORE ACCELERANT onto the flames just to see them jump. This right here, this is the portrait of responsibility. She grabs one (or two) of those marshmallows, jabbing one with the stick before holding it over the flames. No surprise, she likes hers well done. "It's very easy to start a fire." AND LOOK, RHODELIA IS HELPFULLY DEMONSTRATING THAT FOR EVERYONE. "Case in point." She gestures toward the flaming bartender, apparently unconcerned with her safety. Look, Rhody's not screaming in pain or turning into a human bonfire, so she's probably fine.

Cielo tilts his head just a little bit. Yes, that is convincing enough. He'll return to warming his hands (but not too close) and being quiet. Quiet and starting fires. That's not threatening at all. He accepts the MOST WONDEROUS GIFTS with a bright expression and a slight bounce. "There are.. a majillion things that can start fires, too." Like, everything in the box. Maybe the boxes themselves. MAYBE THESE MARSHMALLOWS ARE LITTLE ARSONISTS. He doesn't catch Rhodelia's casualties; his arms are already full. But he does turn and hurry after, cos he's definitely not going full campfire until he's sure that his friend isn't on fire. Wide-eyed, and worried, and.. curious what that even FELT like with the gear on.

Rinian starts in surprise as the cape catches fire..see..no capes! She also starts after the rolling candidate to see if she's ok. But she just can't help but answer the question as she goes, "Watch out for loose clothing around fires!" Like Rhody so kindly demonstrated.

Yes, oh great one, teach Mathis your-fu. Except he didn't need to wax on or off, because his eyebrows are officially gone. Yep, that's a pretty awesome look, no doubt. It'll go excellently with his booming power voice. Suffice to say, the boy takes once giant step backwards again after that initial pause and is unlikely to have a clue about what has befallen him at this time. He does sniff a bit though, crinkling his nose at the scent of burnt hair and looks around a bit to confirm that nothing except his twigs and that cape were on fire. Ah, good. Wait. OH *enter another expletive of your choice*. "Rhodelia!" he calls out, and points helpfully. Uh. Uh. Uhhhhhhhh. This perfectly discribes the look on his face as he now looks for something to put his fellow candidate out with. Bucket of water. Check. Forgoing marshmallows and sparklers (SORRY RISALI AND D'LEI), Mathis rushes right over to the bucket and picks it up, its contents sloshing. Hefting it up he carries it over, struggling some with its weight, and by the time he manages to turn it over Rhodelia she was already in the water. Yes, very effective. Blinking down at the quite drenched and slightly more so woman, he flashes all of those teeth, "So, uh, fire's…out," he says, not the least bit awkwardly and twinkle toes himself away. Nothing to see here folks, now, about them sticks and special sticks. Eybrowlessly he beams at Risali as he makes his selections, before slinking off to roast things and make them sparkle.

Risali's attention draws to Nessalyn (a nod for her answer), then Cielo (a genuine smile for his excite and another nod). "You can try it," she offers, but there he goes after Rhody - and Rin too, whose answer has Risali blinking after them. It's a spectacular roll, one that manages to out-roll the chase of one S&R rider with a heavy looking blanket of sorts in tow. THE BETTER TO SMOTHER YOUR FIRES WITH. The yelling is what draws Risali's attention, and the expression on the weyrwoman's face is a far-cry from humor. "D'merial," she calls out - probably the man who went running after Rhody, because he's looking back to her. "See her to the infirmary, please. Just in case." DOUBLE THUMBS come from the rider, who is probably trying to help fish Rhodelia out of the water if she hasn't dragged herself out yet. And yeah, when she's ready, he will be escorting her away, to one of those waiting riders who gets orders passed on to them about where she needs to end up upon touchdown.

You could say that Rhodelia was on a roll, since she certainly was, but she stands up from the shallow water with a bit of a grin after she turns around to make sure the fire is really, really dead. Fire to look at is good. Fire on you is bad. Sorry, Ness. Those are the rules. "I'm okay!" It's a victory cry of sorts, but that doesn't really change anything about D'merial's orders. She is scooped up by the rider, looking like either a very peculiar fish or a really weird mermaid, but off to the infirmary she goes, giving a wave to her fellow candidates. "Make sure to eat like a dozen of those marshmallows!" Eat them for her, since the healers would probably frown on roasting them in their infirmary.

Fire Bad

Cielo squezes at his hand a little bit and watches the rider swoop in Rhodelia swoop out. Then, he sighs. What is it with his companions and a penchant for near-misses on critical injury? Ya'll will be the death of him. He slips back to the pyres, and makes sure that her sticks and 'mallows are somewhere safe before settling in. "Well. You heard her."

D'lei is apparently not particularly happy about this fire - or about the infirmary trips and singed eyebrows, either. There's a frown on his face as he helps Risali with the handing out of those marshmallows and sparklers, a set of his jaw as he Doesn't Say Anything … which is, as it turns out, rather different than Shutting Up.

Rinian stops as Rhody is apparently fine, but..being doubly made sure of. She lets out a relieved sigh and turns to head back to keep an eye on her own fire. In time to see Matty. Without eyebrows. "Matty? What happened to your eyebrows?" How did she miss his hopping about earlier? Yeah..helmet troubles.

Mathis totally gets the serious faces that D'lei and Risali had on, standing back there with his sticks of plainness and magic, watching as Rhodelia is escorted (maybe shoulder tossed or princess carried) outta there. This is probably the first time that the woodcrafter has noticed D'merial, eyes swept across his back and downwards until his head tilts and he catches himself, stiffening and yanking his gaze away. Throat cleared, to Rinian it goes, that hairless brow creasing as if he could not comprehend the breath and depth of her language until their meaning blossoms into understanding. Unceremoniously he shoves the wonder stick and just a stick at her and his hands fly to his face. "Oh. Oh no. What happened to them? Did they fall off?" Clearly, this is not how one loses eyebrows but already hazel eyes were wildly searching the ground, cupping his new nakedness.

D'MERIAL CAUGHT YOU. And he's probably the one person you don't want catching EYEBALLS directed towards, because he BEAMS, a wink and some really awful fingerguns and - D'MERIAL NO. INAPPROPRIATE. When the candidates return, Risali meets Matty's smile with a partial one of her own - it's not unfriendly, nor is it dismissive, but there's nothing of the Weyrwoman's usual mirth or warmth underscoring it to soften up those hard lines. Instead, she shifts, and asks, "Who can tell me what actions you should take when you catch on fire, and who can tell me why?" And then she's handing off one of her marshmallows to Mathis, probably to distract him from stupid brownriders as eyes go from Cielo, to Rinian, back to the youngest of the bunch. And yeah. She's totes looking at your lack of eyebrows and saying nothing.

Well, first you stop. Then you DROP IT. Cielo watches a little bit longer, while listening to the crackle of flame and pondering, a bit of light flickering of his cheeks. "Hit the ground and roll? Fire takes off a bit quick…" But let's see if the others can fill in the gaps. With or without catchy song form, while he checks to see if his own eyebrows are still there. What won't the fire take from us?

Rinian says softly to Mathis, "I don't know." She missed it entirely. "But they're gone." And as Cielo answers she nods her agreement. "That's what I was taught. To stop, drop and roll, so that you can smother the flames." She offers her marshmallows, all of them, to Matty.

D'lei makes no such attempts at smiles, his gaze shifting to the fire to stare at it for a long moment - or three - before shifting back to the candidates, looking to Cielo and Rinian in turn as they give answers to Risali's question and giving a slight nod to each of them. His mouth opens - and then he thinks better of it, closing it with a slight downward tuck of his chin.

Caught! This is might be part of the reason that Mathis had froze in place like a statue as D'merial beams that smile at him, winks, and throws gang signs of some kind that makes things just as awkwardly uncomfortable as they do a fantastical job of forcing the boy into perfecting his transformation into a tomato. Gaze officially YANKED and pretending that the brownrider no longer dwells on this plane of existence, the boy returns to thinly offered goldrider smiles, mien bareness, and all the marshmallows. "Does it look weird?" he asks Rinian, still with palms flat over what's missing. Because he can't hide that lack of lush temple fronds and hold the items being handed to him, he takes the Risali and Rinian treats and starts to thread them onto sticks, clumpily. One after the other. Tawny lashes fall, somehow having escaped the ignited state of his eyebrows, looking to Cielo as he speaks, he notes the brow check. Sighing heavily, "They're there, they look magnificent." Mathis quickly discovered that it is in fact possible to covet the eyebrows of another in that moment, nibbling on the flesh of his lips, tearing his eyes away and bestowing them upon Rinian. Both of their answers sounded valid to him, and what could he add to that? He'd seen the technique in action. It was a lot better than pouring a bucket of water over someone who was already wet. "Cool off any burns you might have as soon as possible with fresh clean water." Even as he says this, he's offering his not so plain anymore stick of many marshmallows over to the silent chin tucked, D'lei. Present. Might not be practical or useful in the least, but it was the thought that counted. A soft smile to him, as wrapping. Cheer up mate, at least you got eyebrows.

Risali's fingers go out, to find D'lei's hand with her own, to brush her fingers against the palm of his hand as grey eyes find his face. The contact is brief, the attention to his person briefer still, and she nods her agreement (much as D'lei) in agreement of Cielo's and Rinian's contributions to the discussion. "Correct," she offers, though now her attention is back on Mathis (and his missing eyebrows). "Correct." She says again, watching the attempt to give D'lei NOMS before she clears her throat. "But part of why you stop drop and roll is because fire and smoke rise. So you should also cover your face, to protect your airways." Risali demonstrates the face-blocking. "Smothering flames is also the best way to put out most fires. Accelerants do not respond quite as well to water, for example." A flicker of a smile, and then a shift again. "Alright, let's get this over with." And there she goes, striding away again, still totally nomming on a mallow while she retrieves TORCHES. GLORIOUS TORCHES. One for YOU, Ness, and YOU Cielo, and YOU, Riri, and YOU Mathis, and yes, D'lei. EVEN YOU. MARSHMALLOW'D OR no.

If Cielo tilts his head any more, they're going to make a toy out of him. But if he's caught staring (at riders, at weyrleaders, at whomever) he flashes on an innocent smile and finds something to pivot to. "… t-thanks?" He mutters to Mathis, before adding, "they grow back quick." Like real quick. Plus, hey, you don't have to trim them now! That's something. Cielo nodnods, and finally avails himself of a marshmallow like a tiny torch. To go with the right and proper torch in the other hand. He accepts it, bites his lip like he's holding back words, and then dips his head. Thank you for this gift of glooorious fire.

Rinian can't answer his question until Mathis drops his hands. "Well…its not awful." She's happy to have Matty enjoy the marshmallows instead of her, offering him a big smile. She checks her fire to be sure its behaving itself and not wanting to..you know..hop out of its bounds and light up all the lovely grass or something. Then, she's holding a torch. Why is she holding a torch?

There's a moment when D'lei's hand doesn't move, even in response to Risali's touch, but then there's a curl of those fingers that brushes hers as they move away, then remain in a curl toward his own palm. His face remains unchanged, the set of jaw and a relative lack of expression save that frown. His gaze lifts to observe the ooey-gooey marshmallow stick that Mathis extends him, and he stares at it for a moment before amber eyes lift up to the candidate's face. "I am sure you can find a purpose for that," he says, which is … rather the opposite of accepting a gift, in a tone that is rather the opposite of elated. Apparently, it's not just the thought that matters. Who knew? Sometimes details matter - like when it comes to flame, and the ways to stop it. Or… cause it, and while it takes a moment of eyes-meeting for Risali to use her mental powers on him, he at least takes that torch eventually. But seriously, there were like actual seconds of delay, there.

Did Mathis just get something right? Woo! Yet, oddly enough all he does is nod in response to Risali, listening in silence to her as she explains on, watching as she covers her face. While not a healer, protecting airways sounded important enough to nod again and to commit stopping, dropping, rolling, and face covering to his long term memory. Tell him he looks HANDSOME without eyebrows Rinian, tell him that even though his face is naked of hair that he will find love someday anyway, and together they will open up the cutest little shop where they sell replacement eyebrows at discount for the unfortunate and hold support groups every other sevenday after closing. But no, what Mathis gets is that he doesn't look awful. "Oh…good…" he guesses? It would have to do. Cielo's unsure gratitude for the reverence the boy had shown his face follicles, demands less attention than the promise that his own would not take long to return, bringing a new light of hope to the tragedy of today. "Really?" he murmurs back. Oh, please, oh, please, oh, please, let that be true. He'd happily trim them again till the end of time. As for the rejection of that stick overloaded with fluffy white cylinders of sugar, Mathis blinks. The tone, words, and expression of the Weyrleader are well enough to have him retract his hand and it's unwanted gift even as his face is wiped clean of the upward tipping of lips, looking downwards and muttering something lost to the crackling of so many tiny fires. Whatever purpose that the woodcrafter found for it, his hand is empty to accept the torch that Risali offers him.

Although Nessalyn has been making a show of paying attention - glancing in the right direction occasionally and nodding along - the majority of her attention has been on the marshmallows. It can't be that surprising given the fact that they're delicious, and she's a sugar addict. "What's this?" she questions, eyeing the torch which she's being offered which will almost certainly interfere with her ability to continue eating all the marshmallows. And yet… it probably means MORE FIRE. Maybe it's a fair exchange.

YOU CAN SAY IT, CIELO. SHE TOUGH. SHE CAN TAKE IT. And dear Rinian, you are holding that torch because MORE FIRE. See Risali set her torch aflame by means of Mathis' spectacular little fire, clapping his shoulder as she steps forward and she moves between those sizeable gaps closer to the bigger fire. "This is your last lesson," Risali calls out, turning to face everybody present. "There will be no more mandatory changes to your schedule, which means that you will return to your regular assignments." Be that craft-work or chores. Then she's looking to D'lei. TOGETHER? Because if yes, then together they will toss torches to start fires, inspiring others who call up in celebration to throw theirs in too. Risali steps back, search and rescue riders step forward to ensure that people maintain their distances, and for just a moment the weyrwoman is transfixed on that bloom of flame. Whether D'lei joined her or not, she's seeking him now, to catch his hand in her own during this moment of distraction, and to squeeze. One, two, three, and she's pulling away again. "Okay, candidates! Put out the fire! Grab those buckets of water, go, go, go, go!" And those S&R riders disperse again, to take over on their expertise and call instructions to candidates. TAKE THIS WATER. TOSS IT OVER FLAMES. REPEAT UNTIL THERE'S NO MORE FIRE.

Soon. Soon, but not now. Cielo touches the torch to his own flame, and then walks over to the the main pyre. In goes his torch, contributing another *fwoof* to the blaze as he looks on and smiles at everyone around him. "Yes, really," he offers to Mathis quietly. Young people heal fast, besides all that! 'Do we have to?' he almost asks. But yes, of course, that's a bit big to just let go willy-nilly. There can be a smaller campfire later. It lacks the same kind of glory, but… still. He lingers until someone else makes a move for the water, and dutifully follows.

Rinian ohs..carefully lighting her torch from her own little fire, and joining the others to start the big one. She steps back quickly, despite the heavy gear. She wants to keep her eyebrows after all. And she really doesn't want some rider carrying her off anywhere, including the infirmary. It's a lovely fire and.. they have to put it out already? She wonders what Ness will think of that… But she dutifully gets a bucket to get water and then suggests, "You know, we could form a line and move the buckets faster.."

D'lei lifts his chin slightly as Risali makes her announcement, his fingers shifting against that torch in a slow tap against it before he gives a slight nod. He steps forward with Risali, with a lean of his torch to hers in order to light it before he lifts that torch like he's making a toast - though there's no words said, at least not by him - before he tosses that torch with Risali, to that burnable heap meant to be consumed by the flames. Maybe, from the ashes, there'll be… well. Something! Who knows what sort of weird phoenix might be attracted by this. He doesn't look to Risali, not this time - just watches the flames - but his fingers curl back to hers, returning that squeeze as he looks on in silence to the fire that crackles with energy and burn-your-face-off flames. Other torches come to the pyre - and Risali goes, turning back to give more instructs and… D'lei remains where he is, at least for now, standing and watching the fire. BURN IT SOME, THEN PUT IT OUT. He could claim he's watching the candidates work, but… let's be honest, he's really not.

Mathis had been looking rather long and silent at the tip of his lowered torch, not holding it so much as letting it hang from his hand. It's the clap to his shoulder that startles him back to the now, stiffened and straight of spine, too alert. Yes! He's still here! Eyes following the Weyrwoman for a time, soon looking around to see what everyone was doing and he catches on quick, gently extending his arm outward towards his fire and lighting his torch. Devoutly he listens to the Weyrwoman, last lesson, back to their normal routine. With the group he goes forward and tosses it onto the pyre, stepping back away as soon as it leaves his grasp. Beside Cielo, the boy bobs his head once, not appearing to be thinking much about the state of his eyebrows as he stares long into the growing flame as it expands and burns hot, sending a dark gray plume of thick smoke up into the air. Little bits of nothing drifting on air, their lives brief as they glow bright to dance on the fire's thermals and then wink out of existence. Snapped out of his reverie by the call of search and rescue to extinguish the blaze, he goes to grab a bucket and hands it off to Rinian, before grabbing another, "I'll hand them to you."

MORE FIRE. Nessalyn, too, is transfixed by the billow of flame that comes from that impressive fire. Not willing to be left out, she lights her torch and tosses it into the mix, grinning when it only builds upon what was already begun. She doesn't mind the heat or the potential danger, and if Risali weren't yelling completely contrary instructions she'd likely take a moment to enjoy those flames. Maybe they could all dance around them and scream and shout? But no, that bonfire joy is short-lived. "Already?" She eyes Risali like she's crazy for a moment, before muttering a disappointed, "Boring." But the fact that Risali is suddenly a stick-in-the-mud isn't something that's for her to worry about, so Nessalyn merely casts a disappointed look toward the blaze before reaching for one of those buckets and half-heartedly tossing it in the direction of the flames. She'll do it, but she doesn't have to do it well.

TEAM WORK! Glorious, GLORIOUS teamwork! BUCKET, SCOOP, WATER, THROOOOOOWWW! Listen, you might not get to enjoy the flames, but they do climb a little higher and burn a little brighter before they start to be doused. Risali is back by D'lei's side, allowing the S&R men and women to take over command as she slips her hand back into his and doesn't offer him words. She just… watches the fire with him, watches flames dance, and writhe, and grow and succumb. NEVER YOU MIND ABOUT HER ABILITY TO HAVE FUN, NESSALYN. Eventually, the fire is out. But Risali still remains, those ever-present AWLMs taking over instead to help candidates pull off clothes, to corral them back towards dragons and AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. Eventually the weyrwoman will follow, but those white-knotted hopefuls will be long gone before she does.

D'lei's hands curl in against themselves, and he takes in a breath of smoky air… then turns his head, looking to Nessalyn with a long stare as she vaguely tosses water in the broad direction of the flame. There's another inhale, a slow exhale as his hands uncurl, and a shift of his mouth that might swallow words down, but… nope. Not this time, even if he tries for long enough that most of the candidates have left and it's just him, and Risali, and… "Nessalyn," D'lei says, the name loud enough to be clearly heard but definitely not shouted - though he's definitely got a rather focused expression to go with it. "Why are you here?" His gaze is steady, a stare in the firelight. "You've made it clear you dislike our decisions. You've made it clear you dislike the eggs. Why are you here?"

Heft, pull, heft, pull, even without having to walk the way water is heavy and will leave Cielo noodle-armed before too long. Not.. as noodlearmed as he might have felt at the beginning of all this. Curious. He wiggles his fingers. And if there's anything awkward or risque about being stripped by another rider he sure doesn't register it. Just a cheerful smile and relay. He gathers things, makes nice with friendly faces, and starts to head off. Then… pause. Turn back to the Weyrleader. He ~almost~ speaks up, but then D'lei starts to address Nessa. Maybe he should witness this, or speak up, or… nope out of there on the first dragon he can find.

It's terrible for the lungs, but Nessalyn does enjoy that scent of smoke that billows as efforts are made to extinguish that fire, even if it means the fun is over. No one is going to help her out of that outfit, thankyouverymuch, because she doesn't want these people touching her. Help is only accepted as absolutely necessary. She casts one last glance toward what remains of the flames before drifting toward the dragons - only D'lei is calling her name. Confusion lies chief in her expression, although it's underwrit by annoyance as he poses that particular question. "Are you serious? I'm here because I want to be. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here." It's not much of an explanation. "You can't possibly think I'm the only person who's bothered by those eggs. Are you asking all of them why they're here?"

Uh, yeah no. Peace out, folks. Mathis is OUT. One look between D'lei and Nessalyn and he was so over this, handing over his last bucket and not even waiting to hear what answer there might be to all of…that. With the assistant weyrlingmasters driving them like a herd back towards home, he takes this opportunity to high tails it out of dodge. No looking back. No regrets. As fast as his feet can carry him. Along the way he snags poor Rinian, caught in the highlights of the oncoming semi and escorts her towards the awaiting dragons and off they go. Far. FAR. FAR away from there.

Yesssss. There is nothing like the scent of burning wood - even if it's summer time in this particular neck of the woods. Perhaps Risali is surprised too, because D'lei's voice draws her gaze from the smoldering remains of what once was, blinking grey eyes towards the Weyrleader as if she didn't quite hear him and - "Nessa…?" Oh. That inward pull of her brow eases, and while the Weyrwoman doesn't say anything, she remains at D'lei's, settling her attention on Nessalyn and waiting for that answer that… for some reason has Risali's lips pulling inward, grey eyes shifting back onto D'lei instead.

D'lei's expression barely changes as Nessalyn answers him, just… staring at her, with a set of his jaw before he opens it. "Yes, I fucking well am," he answers, and… yeah, his voice is a bit louder. "But they have answers." He gestures, not actually particularly toward any of those other candidates, but… in theory, at least. "They want to be a part of Xanadu. They're hoping for something. They're dreaming of something." Which might get warmth, but no. If it wasn't a glare before, it is now. "They aren't drifting through this candidacy doing as little as possible besides feeling superior and looking for a fight."

"I'm sorry, as little as possible? I think you must be confusing me with someone else. Maybe it's Kaellian you're looking for?" There's a moment where it looks like Nessalyn might try to restrain herself, but venom infects her words and the glare she offers D'lei suggests she'd enjoy shoving him into the remains of that fire. "I've done everything I've been asked to do. I even climbed up a fucking tree to rescue a cat and got injured in the process, because the only other person willing to do it was the kid. What am I in trouble for, exactly? Having an opinion that differs from yours? Not being sweet and cuddly and loving everything all the time?" She reaches up, moving as though to remove her knot as she spits out, "I thought you took all kinds here at Xanadu, but it sounds like you only take the kind who follow blindly."

Risali does not interrupt the exchange of words between Weyrleader or techcrafter, she observes, and the moment that Nessalyn reaches for that knot, Risali's eyes close. "D'lei," Risali says softly, eyes on him when they open again. She doesn't move from his side, nor does she move to Nessalyn; perhaps it's not to call the Weyrleader off (not that she has any delusions that she could), but to ask for a moment to speak. "That isn't fair, Nessalyn." Softer, quieter. "But every time you have a brush with authority, or we ask a question you don't like, your hand goes for your knot." A beat, and then it's just above a whisper that Risali offers, "We are still a weyr with rules and structure, regardless of what 'kind' you are. Why is that so difficult for you to accept?"

D'lei meets that glare, with a set of his jaw and a slight tuck of his chin… and then a huff, almost a laugh - at least, if there wasn't any humour to one. "I asked you a question, Nessalyn." His head lifts up again, a faint smile across his lips. "I asked for your opinion… because while you may want to be here, you have not given me a reason." He shrugs, just a little - but then he quiets, at least for a moment; enough to let Risali speak, to have her piece said - though he doesn't look away from Nessalyn.

Nessalyn doesn't remove that knot, although her hand still hovers there, as though she might change her mind at any moment. "It is fair. You're singling me out because you don't like what I choose to share and what I don't. You can't expect every person to be exactly the same. I said this is what I want, and that should be enough of a reason." The blaze of anger in her chest roars even higher and hotter than those real flames of minutes ago, but it's clear that she is at least attempting to temper her anger to the conversational shift. It's not entirely successful. "What rule have I broken, exactly?"

"That was what you took away from that," Risali whispers, "that you broke a rule." Suddenly the weyrwoman looks tired, a hint of frustration showing in the set of her brows as fingers come up to pinch the bridge of her nose. But she doesn't elaborate further; Risali lapses into silence, perhaps taking a moment to gather her thoughts back up and form words a little bit more cohesive and conducive to conversation. Give her a moment.

"That's your opinion," D'lei says to Nessalyn's talk of singling out - and the reasons behind it. Is that opinion part of a persecution complex? Maybe. He shrugs a bit, the shape of his mouth receding back to neutral. "This isn't about the rules." Is he admitting to bias? Not exactly. "A dragonrider needs control. It's a responsibility." He's using dirty words, D'lei is. "If you are going to get angry every time someone disagrees with you… why in Faranth's name should I let you near a dragon who could flatten cottages - who could kill someone - for no better reason than that you want it?"

"I'm just unclear on what part of that I'm 'not accepting', since I haven't broken any rules," Nessalyn snaps at Risali, irritation coming to the forefront again. She turns upon D'lei with a scowl, her lips twisted with a bitterness that can't possibly be coming only from her experiences at Xanadu. "I don't get angry every time someone disagrees with me. I get angry when I actually put in effort and go along with things I think are pointless or dangerous, but I do them anyway because that's what I'm supposed to be doing, and then someone turns around and tells me I'm not trying and nothing I'm doing is good enough for them." Her fingertips twitch against that knot, still debating. "You've never seen me lose control. Not once."

"Because you are choosing the one word I said that you didn't like and skewing it to be an accusation," Risali spits back. "Because it fits your narrative of being unfairly treated and it is bullshit, Nessalyn. You challenge everybody on their stances, but the moment anybody challenges you, you pretend like you have no idea why." And is that… are those… is Risali crying? Her chin goes up defiantly, and if those are tears in her eyes, she's not acknowledging them, and they don't fall. Her voice doesn't waver either when her set jaw and that spark of anger settles in the set of her brow. "I've heard enough." And there she goes, turning away from Nessalyn, already taking strides away from Weyrleader and techcrafter both. And yeah, okay. Maybe now she's swiping at her eyes, but she keeps her chin up and her shoulders squared when she does it. FIGHT HER.

D'lei listens to Nessalyn, stares at her for a moment afterward… which is enough time for Risali to speak. His head tucks down as he hears her - though he doesn't look away form Nessalyn, with a frown and then… as Risali walks away… D'lei smiles, the edges sharp. "Really, what you can take from this is … you're right." Nessalyn can definitely take that, yup! Whether or not D'lei would consider it accurate, well… he spreads his hands out, and shrugs. "We're singling you out because of our personal prejudices against you, and there's nothing you can do to make us see reason, because I'm just an asshole - like all those other assholes, over the years, who have tried to make you into something you're not." That smile's gone. "Unfortunately for you, I was here first, and I don't have to justify shit to you - because, as you've pointed out, I'm a dictator. So." There's the smile, again. "Goodbye, Nessalyn." D'lei turns, sharply, and… walks away, his strides long to catch up with Risali - then slowing to keep pace with her as they walk away.

"You can't even tell me what part of that I haven't accepted!" Nessalyn blurts, throwing out her arms in frustration. "I chose one word, but I still asked you what I hadn't done and still haven't given me an answer." And it seems she's not going to get one, at least from Risali's quarter. "If you ask me what I can't accept, that is an accusation. You can't imply I'm not accepting something and then say I'm making up an accusation, Risali." One hand presses to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose as she takes a deep breath. "I'm not pretending." Because she genuinely does not understand. And then D'lei starts talking about being a dictator, and Nessalyn gives the biggest roll of her eyes. "None of that is what I said. But if that's the response you want to give to someone saying 'I'm trying, why isn't that good enough,' you do you I guess." She shrugs, apparently unmoved. She'll wait a good few minutes before she ventures toward any of the dragons.

"The point is not rules, it is YOUR COMBATIVENESS, NESSALYN. AT EVERYTHING." NOPE. SHE'S RUNNING> And from somewhere in the distance, Risali growl-screams frustrated incoherence. Probably with a wild gesticulation at Nessalyn. (NOW WHO GOT THE LAST WORD FOR ONCE. IT ME.)